Judas Iscariot — In Heaven or in Hell? Did Judas go to Hell?

Introduction

For the last 1900 years, many Christians have placed Judas in a special category
of evil. To sell Jesus into the hands of Israel's Priesthood is a sin most Christians
feel they would not be capable of doing.

Most Christians seem to categorize sins. In doing so, it allows them to separate
themselves from the worst of sinners like Judas. The Bible says the wages of
sin is death and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Death
is death. Little sins and big sins all produce exactly the very same thing.
. .death, and there do not appear to be degrees of death. A dead man is a dead
man no matter how beautiful his grave.

The purpose of this article is to raise Judas up from the false representation
he has received from the self-righteous Christian and to bring down our self-righteousness
to where we can look at the Judases of the world in the eye and be able to say,
"I am the guilty one. I put Jesus on the tree of crucifixion. He died for my
sins."

We Christians must do away with our scapegoats. In Germany, Christian Catholics
and Protestants put thousands of Jews into ovens calling them Christ killers.
Early in the church the Jews became associated with Judas. They, along with
Judas, have been the scapegoats for this desire of mankind to blame shift.

It seems the world is obsessed these days to put the blame for the problems
of the world on someone, any one except themselves. It is time to stop.
We are all guilty. We Christians have given ourselves a pardon, but we have
not pardoned the world. We therefore, have put ourselves in an exalted position
which has produced devastating results. We must be humbled. The purpose of this
article is to bring us down to a place where we might be of benefit to the world.
Our self-righteousness and pride has made us almost useless in changing the
world for the good. If the world is getting darker, it is because our light
is going out. May this article put a spark back into our Christian witness.

Scriptures pertaining to Judas

John 13:21-31
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell
you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"
26 Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when
I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it
to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.
27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about
to do, do quickly," Jesus told him,
28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him.
29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to
buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.
30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is
glorified in him.

Matt 26:45-50
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping
and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him
was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and
the elders of the people.
48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the
man; arrest him."
49 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Then the men stepped forward,
seized Jesus and arrested him.

John 18:2-9
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there
with his disciples.
3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials
from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and
weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them,
"Who is it you want?"
5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor
was standing there with them).
6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then
let these men go."
9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have
not lost one of those you gave me."

Matt 27:3-10
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized
with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the
elders.
4 "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that
to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged
himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to
put this into the treasury, since it is blood money."
7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place
for foreigners.
8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the
thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel,
10 and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Acts 1:15-26
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about
a hundred and twenty)
16 and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit
spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide
for those who arrested Jesus--
17 he was one of our number and shared in this ministry."
18 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he
fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their
language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 "For," said Peter, "it is written in the book of Psalms, May his place be
deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, May another take his place
of leadership.'
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us
the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.
For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."
23 So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus)
and Matthias.
24 Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these
two you have chosen
25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."
26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the
eleven apostles. (NIV)

Historical, Cultural, and Geographical Material

Judas is the Greek form of the Hebrew Judah, which means praise.

Iscariot most likely means "man from Kerioth," a city in the Negev of the
region in Jesus' day which was called Judea. There are several other theories
about this word. If this is true, Judas was the only one of the twelve apostles
the scriptures record not coming from Galilee. Galileans were looked down
upon by Judeans.

Judea is where most of the priests lived since all the sacrifices had to
be performed in Jerusalem.

The 30 pieces of silver was a small sum of money, the value of a slave.
(Ex 21:32) If Judas were really covetous and greedy, why didn't he barter
for much more?

Jesus chose Judas, not the other way around.

Jesus knew them before He picked them.

Prior to the betrayal, Judas' only recorded sin was stealing from the money
box. The other 11 apostles had accounts recorded of them of sins which included
unbelief, lust for position and power, not being mindful of the things of
the spirit but of man, all the disciples left Him, Peter denied Him 3 times
in one night, falsely condemning people to fire when Jesus said He came to
save, etc., etc..

Judas threw the 30 pieces of silver on the ground in the "naos"(Holy
Place)part of the temple. Only a priest could enter that part
of the temple. Even Jesus could only enter the courtyard because he was not
from the tribe of Levi. This fact is very important.

Judas repented and declared Jesus innocent and confessed his sin.

All these things happened to fulfill prophesy that the Creator planned to
be fulfilled at this time.

Many in the 2nd and 3rd century taught Judas hung himself to get to Hades
ahead of Jesus and meet Him there because he knew He (Jesus) had entered His
Kingdom through death. (Origin, Theophanes, Theophylact, etc.)

Judas was called "friend" (hetairos) by Jesus. A word for friend indicating
partnership, comrade, companion as opposed to "philos" indicating endearment.
In other words, there was a partnership of some sort involved in this "betrayal."

The 30 pieces of silver, which legally belonged to Judas, purchased
a burial field for non-Jews in the land of Israel. There is a discrepancy
in the Scriptures as to why it became called "field of blood." A Dictionary
of the Bible by James Hastings has some interesting history about this
piece of land. This land was also known as "the potter's field." (see Jer.
18:2,19:2)

In this land, Israel used to burn their own children and offer them up to
the God Moloch. See Jer. ch. 7 and 8.

This land, the "potter's field," is located in the Valley of Hinnom, what
was called Gehenna, which the King James Bible and its sister translations
call "hell." This "blood money" which belonged to Judas, purchased or redeemed
"hell."

Jeremiah prophesied this valley would become the "valley of slaughter."(Jer.
7:32, 19:11)

Jeremiah also prophesied that one day, this land which Jesus called Gehenna
translated in the KJV and some of it's sisters as "hell," would one day
be holy unto the Lord. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that
the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hanenel to the Corner
Gate. The surveyor's line shall again extend straight forward over the hill
Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. And the whole valley of the dead
bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron,
to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD.
It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever." (Jer. 31:38-40)

In 70 A.D. on Passover, Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans. Hundreds of
thousands of Jews' blood ran into this valley and their bodies dumped into
Gehenna. Gehenna is what the King James and its sister translations named
"hell." The "chosen people" of Yahweh at the end of their time in the land
ended in "hell," not the Romans (world).

Matthew 26:24 in the King James Bible reads, "It had been better for that
man, if he had not been born." In the KJV and its sisters "that man" refers
to Judas. But other translations disagree or present another possibility.
The Revised Version of 1881 and the American Standard Version of 1901 put
in the margin "Gr. for him if that man." In other words it would have been
good for Jesus if Judas had not been born. Martin Luther's translation, Rotherham's,
Douay, Wiclif's, Tyndale's, Concordant, and many others read the same way.
Rotherham has it, "well would it have been for him, if that man had not been
born." Well would it have been for Jesus if that man (Judas) had not been
born.

Judas was the "outsider" from the view of the other 11 apostles. As the
Judeans looked down on Galileans, it is possible that the Galilean apostles
were not past being capable of reverse discrimination. Peter, several years
after the resurrection, was still being influenced by a Judaizing spirit and
would not eat with the Gentiles when those from James were present.

Putting It All Together

Let us begin to weave all these pieces together and see if we can see some
things we have never thought about before. Perhaps we can get a glimpse of the
wisdom of our Father which will leave us amazed and a little more humbled..

In reading about Jesus in the New Testament, we must always keep in mind that
He came to "fulfill the law." First, He fulfilled it by adding the Spirit back
to it which the religious leaders had removed by their "letter keeping." He
said to them, "You have heard it said, 'Love your friends, but hate your enemies',
but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." The
religious leaders were concerned about getting caught in adultery, but Jesus
told them if they had lust in their heart, they were guilty of adultery. Hate
in the heart made one guilty of murder. Religious man always tries to look good
on the outside, like going to church every Sunday, but our Father is interested
in what goes on inside the heart.

The next aspect of "fulfilling the law" dealt with eliminating laws added
to Moses' law which had nothing to do with Moses. The Jews added thousands of
laws which were impossible to remember or keep. Some of the laws added actually
made it possible to break Moses law' for self gain. For example, when making
an agreement, one had to face Jerusalem and say twice "Amen, Amen." If one said
"Amen" only once, the agreement was not lawful and therefore could be broken.
Knowing the "Law" at this point in Israel's history actually became profitable.
Many foreign people were swindled by these kinds of acts. The modern church
has copied those swindlers, and has actually exceeded many of the "lawful" schemes
perpetrated in Jesus' day by "religious people." The widow, orphan, and poor
were greatly oppressed by the religious leaders. Today, the use of the unlawful
"tithe" is an example of the greed of religious men and women who use this money
to build their own kingdoms.

The third way, I believe Jesus dealt with the Mosaic Law was to fulfill every
type and shadow contained in all the sacrificial ceremonies. I believe many
people were predestined to participate with Jesus in His fulfillment of these
ceremonies. One of the leading participants in fulfilling these ceremonies and
Scriptures was Judas. These laws can be seen on at least three levels. 1. The
actual performance of them by Israel. 2. Seeing how Jesus would physically perform
and fulfill them in the flesh. 3. Seeing the spiritual reality behind it all.

Most of us who have studied the Bible for any length of time know that Jesus
was the "lamb of God," the "lamb slain before the foundation of the world."
Those of you who have participated in a Passover ceremony are familiar with
the symbolism of the rite and its fulfillment on the tree of crucifixion. We
know Jesus the Innocent Lamb's blood was shed for us that the Death Angel would
"pass over" our house, that is, our life. But we have been very shallow in our
studies and have not looked at how the Lamb was determined to be an "innocent
lamb." We have looked to Pontius Pilate as the judge who determined whether
Jesus was guilty of death or not, but Jesus had to fulfill the Laws of Moses,
not the laws of Rome. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus guilty, not innocent.
They would not declare the lamb innocent. So how was Jesus legally determined
to be the "innocent" Lamb? The answer: Judas!

As we begin to gather all these pieces together, keep in mind that Judas was
predestined just as Jesus being born at this time was predestined. Jesus chose
Judas knowing his purpose; that prior to Satan entering Judas, his sins were
really not much different than the other apostles. If covetousness kept people
out of heaven, then heaven would be void of Christians, especially preachers,
and that judgment is without mercy for those who show no mercy. Be very careful
in how you judge Judas for as you judge, perhaps, so shall you be judged.

Inspecting the Lamb

As early as the Book of Genesis, there are references to proper sacrifices.
All of these Old Testament sacrifices obviously pointed to the reality of Jesus
Christ. I believe every sacrificial type and shadow will find it's reality wrapped
up in Jesus Christ and His Body. This article will not deal with all of the
types. We are concerned with the role Judas played and so we we will have to
stay focused as much as possible on Judas' role in prophesy being fulfilled.

Jesus was crucified in the Passover season. The King James, in some places,
incorrectly calls it "Easter," a name which is derived from "Ishtar," a Babylonian
fertility goddess. The Passover Feast is a very complicated subject to get into.
Thousands of books have been written on the subject. Having been in congregations
which keep the feasts and also having studied the history of the Passover throughout
Hebrew history, I am convinced most of our understanding on the subject is gross
darkness. It is like many people still picturing an apple tree in the garden
of Eden. Our understanding of the Passover is just as simplistic.

For example, did you know that a young goat was just as acceptable as a lamb?
(2 Chron. 35:7, Lev. 22:19, Ex. 12:5) Somehow, due to our false teachings of
the separation of the sheep and goats, we have pictures the goat as an unclean
animal. This is not so, at least according to Scripture. Many of our perceptions
of the Creator and His Plan come from our religious traditions and not from
the Scriptures.

In the original Passover, the lamb (or goat) was selected on the 10th day
of the month of Abib. This month was to be their first month since that was
the month they were delivered from Pharaoh. This lamb or goat was kept for 4
days and inspected to make sure it was spotless and without blemish. In subsequent
Passovers, the Priest had to inspect the lamb or kid to make sure it was without
blemish.

Most of you know all the ceremonies of Israel were types and shadows which
were to point to realities which would come later on. While most Christians
are very unskilled in dealing with the Old Testament, they have received enough
to know that Jesus Christ was the true Passover Lamb pointed to by the first
Passover in Egypt and its commemorative Passovers which were to be kept each
year by Israel. The fact of the matter is that many years the Passover was not
kept. Neither were most of the other ordinances required by Moses.

Nevertheless, the Passover lamb or goat pointed to the true Sacrificial Goat,
Jesus Christ. Did you just get a little flustered? Yes, the goat represents
Jesus just as much as the cute little dumb lamb. Remember, on the Day of Atonement,
two goats were selected; one to be killed and the other to be set free. These
also pointed to the work of Christ. This animal had to be inspected by the Priests.
Jesus had to be inspected by the Priests! The problem was that the Priests of
the temple declared Jesus guilty of blasphemy which was punishable by death!
How could Jesus be the innocent lamb or goats if they declared Him blemished
with sin?

Orthodox Christianity puts it in the hands of the true secular authority of
Israel which was Pontius Pilate. He asked Jesus a number of questions and after
doing so found that Jesus was not guilty of anything worthy of the death penalty.
(Matt. 27) He washed his hands of the whole affair and said he found no fault
with Jesus and wanted to set him free. The people, prodded on by the priests,
wanted Him to be crucified. Pontius Pilate made another attempt to free Jesus
by using a tradition Romans used on special occasions. On certain important
days they would release a prisoner as a sign of mercy or good will. Pontius
Pilate gave Israel a choice of freeing Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of Yahweh,
or Barabbas. Some ancient manuscripts called him Jesus Barabbas. Barabbas in
Greek means Son of the Lord or Master. Abba in Aramaic means father. So the
choice presented to Israel was a very interesting choice. Which do you want
freed...Jesus (Yashua which means Yah saves or Yah's deliverance) or Barabbas
(son the the Lord or Master or Father). We will not deal with the scapegoat
offerings in this article, but it certainly looks like a perfect fit.

The people picked Jesus to be sacrificed and Barabbas to escape into the wilderness
of humanity. At this point Pilate ceremoniously washed his hands of the whole
thing and turned the whole thing over to the Jews. He said "You see to it."
(Matt. 27:24). The people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our
children." There are many Christians who read these words and look upon the
Jews with hatred and disdain for making such remarks. I ask you, have you ever
pled the blood of Jesus over yourselves and your loved ones? They may have meant
it for evil, but our Father meant it for the good of all mankind, including
them and you and myself. Do not forget the prophesy of Caiaphas the high priest.
The chief priests and Pharisees gathered and were trying to determine what to
do with this miracle worker who everyone was following. They were afraid of
a rebellion, which would mean the Romans would come in and take away their place
and the nation. Caiaphas said in John 11:49-52, "You know nothing at all, nor
do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the
people, and not that the whole nation should perish." John then said, "Now this
he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied
that Jesus would die for the nation."

Now dear reader, I want you to think through very carefully what we are about
to discuss. It is vitally important for our witness and our ability to demonstrate
the love of Christ. It is also vitally important to understand in order to rightly
dividing the Word. Honestly, in your heart, between Peter and Judas, who do
you identify with most? For whom do you find more love, Peter or Judas? What
about those Jews who yelled, "Crucify, crucify, let His blood be on our heads."
Do you identify with them or despise them?

(James 1:23,24,NIV) "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once
he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind
of person he was.

(MT 16:21) From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders,
chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the
third day be raised to life.

(MT 16:22,23) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never,
Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind
the things of God, but the things of men."(NIV)

Please note that the text does not say "Satan entered him" as with Judas.
Jesus directly called him "Satan," which means adversary. Peter was unwilling
for the dark side of the Word to be fulfilled. Death must precede life.
Peter was not "mindful of the things of God." Trying to be the nice guy and
saving Jesus' life was not the will of the Father. Jesus being betrayed,
becoming the Lamb slain, being valued at 30 pieces of silver, and the purchase
of the "field of blood" was "being mindful of the things of God."

Please get this one point. Peter was directly called "Satan." Satan had to
enter Judas in order for him to fulfill the Scriptures. In other words,
Judas was not capable of betraying Jesus by himself! He had to be taken over.
Peter did not need the help of Satan to not be mindful of the things of God.
It was perfectly natural for him. When Satan wanted to "sift" Peter, Jesus prayed
for "Satan" Peter. Why didn't Jesus just pray for Judas? Because Judas had to
do what he did to fulfill Scripture that the redemption of the whole world from
its bondage to sin might be accomplished! Judas was not a hearer only, as Peter
was, but a "doer of the word." Not only was he a doer, but Jesus hastened Judas
along to get it done. "What you are doing, do more quickly." (John 13:27) Judas
fulfilled his purpose for being born, and when we get to that grand banquet,
he will have "returned to his own place." (Acts 1:25)

The reason I am spending so much time on Judas, is because I do not want any
of you to have a place in your mind of your position in Christ and one day have
Jesus ask you to move a few seats closer to outer darkness because you are sitting
in Judas' seat. I also have found among some of the "elect" a disdain for "Jews"
who have been called "Christ killers" for almost 2000 years. Martin Luther hated
Jews and recommended they be killed. If right now you have an uneasy feeling,
or feel a little blood rush to your head, you probably need to come to the place
of true realization that you and I are the Christ killers. If
there were no Jews, our sins would still have put Jesus on the Tree of Crucifixion.

What I am trying to say, is that we, as Christians, have no business looking
down upon any person, race, or nation. All have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. There is none righteous, nay, not one, including Judas, you, or
myself. It is time for us to be able to look everyone right in the eyes, not
looking down or up to anyone. We have all fallen short, and we will all be redeemed
by the saving work of the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, Yashua Ha Machiach,
Iesus Kristos. When we humble ourselves, then He will allow us to see things
in the Scriptures we have never seen before. His Holy Spirit will remove the
veil over our eyes and we will behold wondrous things.

For example, we speak so often of the "Lamb who takes away the sin of the
world." This takes us back to Exodus to the Passover lamb. Israel was to put
the blood of a lamb older than eight days and less than one year which was unblemished
on the door of their house. The death angel or God was going to kill every first-born
male in Egypt. Only those houses marked with the blood would be "passed over."
But the death angel was not going to kill everyone in the unmarked houses, only
the first born males. Later on, we find out that the God of Israel wanted
every male that opened the womb as His own, whether it be from the domestic
animals, or people. The first-born male children of Israel had to be redeemed,
that is, bought back. In other words, when they were born, they belonged to
Yahweh. The parent had to purchase him back from the Levites for a certain price.
A first born-male jackass, an unclean animal, had to be redeemed with
a lamb. Money in this case was not accepted. Where I am trying to head, and
still stay within the length of an article instead of a book, is that there
is much more to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ than we have been taught. There
are great mysteries here. In the days ahead, we will look at many of the Levitical
Laws and look at them from a totally new point of view.

The Creator of the Universe has bound Himself to keeping His own Laws. The
Jews saw about 613 laws in the Mosaic system. In the days ahead, we will see
these laws with completely new light.

As I mentioned, our Father and His Son are not hypocrites. They live by the
laws They set. Under the Mosaic Law, an owner of land and animals is responsible
for what happens on that land. If he digs a pit and doesn't cover it and a neighbor's
animal falls into it and dies, the owner of the pit is liable. If someone builds
a house with a roof and doesn't put up a railing and someone falls off, you
must flee to a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest.

The following Sciptures may not seem to fit this article, but they are very
important. I cannot go into full explanation of all of this because it would
take too much space. I hope the gaps will cause you to study this out for yourselves.

(EX 21:28-32) "And if an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the
ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of
the ox shall go unpunished.
[29] "If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring, and its owner
has been warned, yet he does not confine it, and it kills a man or a woman,
the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.
[30] "If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption
of his life whatever is demanded of him.
[31] "Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according
to the same rule.
[32] "If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give
his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

(Zech. 11:12,13)"If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but
if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as
my wages.
[13] Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price
at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw
them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

(MT 27:3-10) Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had
been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to
the chief priests and elders,
[4] saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What
is that to us? See to that yourself!"
[5] And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he
went away and hanged himself.
[6] And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful
to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood."
[7] And they counseled together and with the money bought the Potter's Field
as a burial place for strangers.
[8] For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
[9] Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
"AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE
HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel;
[10] AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER'S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME."

I am finding as I write this article that I cannot seem to find an end. I
could go on with this for many more pages, but I have to conclude knowing there
will be many questions.

The Creator of the Universe must abide by His own Laws. He created Adam, placed
him in a place where he could be deceived by a Serpent which the Creator also
created. Adam and all his offspring fell into a pit and all died. In Adam
all died, including you. According to the Mosaic Law, the Creator was responsible
for Adam's death and must make restitution. Satan has deceived mankind time
and time again. According to the Law, the owner of a beast that has been known
to gore in the past, must die along with the beast. However, if a ransom
price has been placed upon that man, he may be redeemed. The value
the Priest of Israel placed upon Jesus was 30 pieces of silver, which Judas
put into the temple. Lawfully, Jesus, who the Father gave all things to,
and who all things are of, to, and through (Rom.11:36), must die because of
allowing Satan to kill Adam and his offspring, but Jesus was redeemed with
the 30 pieces of silver. Not only that, but the 30 pieces of silver purchased
the Potter's field, which became the "Field of Blood," which became a proper
burial place in the land of Israel for foreigner, gentiles, that is non-Israelites.
This "field of blood" was located in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, known
as "Gehenna" to the Greeks and better known as "hell" in many misleading Bible
translations including the King James Bible. For those of you who want to translate
Gehenna as "hell," you should know that Judas purchased that field called "hell"
which the Potter's field is in. I tell you now that the Great Potter of the
Universe is taking those broken pieces thrown into that pit as called worthless
by most of the church, and He is remaking them, all of them, just like He is
remaking you. He is also remaking those miriads of vessels buried in the "dump
of humanity" and they will come forth glorious.

Our Father and His Son will take complete responsibility for all the unjustices
that have ever been committed on the planet earth, whether they be from Satan,
Adam, bulls or goats, or you and me. He created us and He will restore, correct,
balance, make good, reconcile, redeem, etc., etc., until every tear that has
ever been shed in this world of sin is wiped away and every person who has been
hurt, marred, or killed will be restored until the glory of the latter house
be much greater than the glory of the former house.

One day, the true story of Adam will be told and we will see that our Father
wasn't as stupid, or calloused, or powerless as the modern church makes Him
out to be in the "Great Fall of Adam Story." No, our Father allowed Adam to
"fall" for very good reasons, much better reasons than we have been taught in
the past. What we have just looked at, we have just skimmed. We will have to
put meat on these bones another time. For now, I hope your appetite has been
wet for further light on the above.

Conclusion

Jesus came to fulfill the Law. I believe we are just beginning to understand
what that is all about. I know I left many things out; there is just too much
to cover. I just hope I have at least brought you to the place where you can
look Judas eye to eye instead of down on him. If I have failed to do that, I
hope I have cracked a few doors which at least will keep you from making a final
judgment of Judas. I am trying to do this not so much for Judas' sake, but for
your sake. There is much mystery around Judas and even the writers of the New
Testament seemed to have different stories about Judas. For example, Luke states
the reason the field is called Akel Dama, that is, the Field of Blood, is because
Judas fell there headlong and his intestines gushed out. (Acts 1:16, 17) Matthew
says the field was called the Field of Blood because the money that purchased
the field was "blood money." (Matthew 27:8)

Another example is found where Mark says, "Now His betrayer had given them
a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away
safely." (Notice the word "safely") "And as soon as He had come, immediately
he went up to Him and said to Him, 'Rabbi, Rabbi!' and kissed Him." (Mark 14:44,45)
John gives a different account. "Then Judas, having received a detachment of
troops, and officers from the chief priest and Pharisees, came there with lanterns,
torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon
Him, went forward and said to them, 'whom do you seek?' They answered
Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed
Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back
and fell to the ground." (John 18:3-6) Mark has Judas immediately kiss
Jesus to identify Him and John has Jesus come forward to declare Himself as
the "I Am" and knocked them all down. I think with that kind of introduction,
they knew who He was. No need for a Judas kiss after that happened twice. Quite
a different story between the two.

The next generation of Christians villainized Judas so much that Papias, Bishop
of Heirapolis in about 140 A.D., claimed that Judas was so swollen that where
a wagon could go through easily, he could not go through; nay, he could not
even insert the mass of his head. His genital, were repellent and huge beyond
all shamefulness. From his whole body flowed blood mixed with worms. According
to this "Bishop" who claims to have known John, the apostle, Judas died in his
own place, which, because of the stench, has remained deserted and uninhabitable
to the present day. This kind of gross exaggeration to the point of lying is
not unusual of Christian circles, ancient or present day.

To summarize, be careful where you place Judas. He did the will of
the Father and fulfilled the Scriptures. Peter, who we all love, tried to prevent
Jesus' crucifixion and was called "Satan" by our Lord. Peter, who was not mindful
of the will of God, was restored. Was it not Jesus who said, ""For whoever does
the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister
and mother." (Matthew 12:50) Be careful about placing Jesus's brother, Judas,
in Christendom's "hell." One day you may have to look up to Judas, instead of
looking down on him. Peter denied him three times in one night while Judas declared
Jesus innocent in front of the High Priesthood. Judas had a very important job
in the Kingdom of God. For three and one half years, as a Priest he inspected
the Lamb of God as an unbiased man. He was not "one of them" a Galilean. He
was the outsider. He did his job perfectly. If Judas really wanted to mess things
up, he could have agreed with the High Priesthood and called Him a "blasphemer"
who claimed to be the Son of God when He really wasn't. But Judas declared the
Lamb spotless and unblemished, the Perfect Passover. Thank you, Judas, for not
only being a hearer of the Word, but also a doer of the Word. Thank you,
Judas, for giving the redemption money which purchased the Potter's field; a
place for strangers in the land of Israel and the silver which speaks of the
redemption of the family of Adam who sold himself as a slave to sin. You may
not like how Judas got that money, but you should rejoice in what it did for
you.

I cannot spend more words on this, but I hope these words have you stirring.
I hope they have rekindled a desire to study the Scriptures more. Most importantly,
may these words cause you to give more freely what our Father has so freely
bestowed upon you. . . mercy. Is there more room in your heart for mercy for
yourself? If there is, then there is also more room for you to have mercy on
others, especially those vessels of less honor in our eyes. Lift up the Judases
of the world to our wonderful Father who freely forgives, Who bestows mercy
upon the undeserving.